Greg Wirtz, President of Cruise Lines International Association – North West & Canada (CLIA-NWC) recently visited Honolulu joining CLIA-NWC representative Charlie Toguchi in meetings with government officials from the Hawaii State House of Representatives, the Senate Transportation Committee and the Department of Transportation (DOT). A tour of Honolulu Harbor with Hawaii Pilots Association President Tom Heberle and DOT officials provided a waterside view of the plans proposed and underway for improvements to passenger flows and terminal operations in Honolulu.

As part of the visit Carnival Cruise Line welcomed the officials aboard the Carnival Legend for an environmental tour on September 22 that included the bridge, the engine control room and the solid waste handling area.

Ashok Kumar, the ship’s senior environmental officer conducted the tour and described the environmental stewardship policies and procedures that Carnival Cruise Line has in place, including efforts that see the cruise line ahead of schedule in achieving a nearly 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions relative to its 2005 baseline, and how the company is on track to meet its additional 2020 sustainability goals over the next three years.

The tour participants learned how CLIA Members have agreed to use best waste management practices and to comply with all local, state, national, and flag state operational waste management laws and requirements. They also learned: how recycling and reducing energy use has become a way of life onboard all CLIA Member Line ships; how officers and crew, both on the bridge and in the control room, closely monitor a ship’s operations including the use of advanced emission purification (scrubbers) for stack emissions; how shore power technology significantly reduces air emissions for a ship at berth; and, how advanced wastewater treatment systems purify black and grey water. In the solid waste handling area, the participants saw how manual sorting ensures that recyclables and hazard waste are captured and separated for offloading to licensed facilities.